Secrets in the Night
by Jadeaffection
Summary: It wasn't meant to be like this, never like this. For nattt4991. Oneshot, angsty-reflective Will/Marian, slight AU for end of S2/S3, rated for adult themes and use of the "A" word in author's note.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Robin Hood nor do I make any money from these writing. However if I did I think we all know that it would have turned out very differently!

Written for nattt4991 who's awesome video, Will/Marian - Red Sky, came second in my unusual- shipping contest on YouTube.

Yes, I know that was ages ago and any normal person would have had this up way sooner but this story kicked my arse in a big way. I couldn't figure out a plot for these two so I had to internalise it all and that is so not my normal style. I'm still not happy with how this turned out but I hope for nattt4991's sake it's at least readable.

Sorry it took so long and I hope you enjoy it! xx

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Promises made in the dead of night were made to be broken. Those oaths murmured while skin touched skin and their breath and sweat mingled. Declarations of love and hope and the future. When they swore that one day they would be together, that there would be no more hiding, cheating or lying. The vows shining in their eyes as all words were lost and they raced to find completion in touches, kisses and friction. Whispers as they lay in each others arms, cosy in the afterglow. None of it was meant to be taken seriously. None of it meant to withstand the light of day.

They knew that they would never be. That the pain it would cause others would be too heavy a burden for them to bear. Countless times they had said their goodbyes, unshed tears for what could have been held prisoner in their eyes. Still, over and over again, under the cover of darkness they collided, their heartbeats becoming one.

She watched him from across the camp. His arm was around Djaq's shoulder, his hand in the Saracen's. She studied the way his pale skin contrasted so visibly with the other woman's creamy brown complexion. The jealousy was like bile in her throat. Envy, she knew she had no right to feel, coursing through her veins. Turning away, her vision caught Robin's and he gave her a wink and a smile. It was only in her mind but she saw the trust in his eyes. She returned a smile of her own, sure he could see how broken and wrong it was, sitting on her face like it didn't belong there. Her very soul felt unclean.

He watched her from across the camp. Observed the looks she shared with Robin. He scrutinized the ease that the pair had with each other. The subtle yet intense way his leader's hand brushed her shoulder on the way past. The pressure in his chest was immense, so close to suffocating him it ached. It was always this way when he saw them together, jealousy, thick and strong, clouding his vision. Djaq's thumb gently massaged the pulse point in his wrist, the intimacy in the gesture bringing a lump to his throat. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. Deep in his heart, in his being, he felt dirty.

They didn't really know him. None of them. Not like she did. He was stronger than they gave him credit for. Far braver than even he knew. Sometimes when they were in the middle of a fight she would feel her gaze drift towards him, only to have her breath stolen in awe. He was magnificent. They treated him as the baby of the group, always there in the background. He was much more than Allan's sidekick, the shy boy with the clever plans. So much more.

They didn't really know her. Not properly. Only he saw the real her. She was more vulnerable than they realized. Less selfless than she would like to admit. He knew that there were times when, while preparing to sacrifice herself for the greater good, she doubted. Thought about just running for it and damning the consequences. They would have thought her weaker but not him. It just made her much more human, more interesting. So much more.

He was injured once. Quite badly. She watched as the others fussed about him, afraid to get too close. Afraid that she would act more like the hysterical lover and less like the concerned friend. Her whole body thrummed with the panic she felt, with the fear. She couldn't lose him now, she just couldn't. Somewhere along the way he had become her world. The wait was the worst, not knowing one way or the other. When Djaq said he would live, she could finally breathe.

She was injured once. It didn't look good. He just sat there while the others did what they could. He couldn't get that image out of his mind. The one from the past, of her lying there, when they thought her dead. His world had stopped even back then, before it had all started. He could have kissed Allan for noticing her breathing. If it happened again, if they lost her, this time his world wouldn't stop, it would end. When Djaq said she would live, he could finally breathe.

It began as an accident. A moment of weakness disguised as comfort. Both caught up in the human need for contact, for touch. Yes, it started as a lapse in judgement. A mistake that had quickly become an addiction. One that it seemed to be far too late to stop.


End file.
